What is "piping plover"

Plover \Plov"er\, n. [OF. plovier, F. pluvier, prop., the rain bird, fr. LL. (assumed) pluviarius, fr. L. pluvia rain, from pluere to rain; akin to E. float, G. fliessen to flow. See Float.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of numerous species of limicoline birds belonging to the family Charadrid[ae], and especially those belonging to the subfamily Charadrins[ae]. They are prized as game birds.

2. (Zo["o]l.) Any grallatorial bird allied to, or resembling, the true plovers, as the crab plover ( Dromas ardeola); the American upland, plover ( Bartramia longicauda); and other species of sandpipers. Note: Among the more important species are the blackbellied plover or blackbreasted plover ( Charadrius squatarola) of America and Europe; -- called also gray plover, bull-head plover, Swiss plover, sea plover, and oxeye; the golden plover (see under Golden); the ring plover or ringed plover ( [AE]gialitis hiaticula). See Ringneck. The piping plover ( [AE]gialitis meloda); Wilson's plover ( [AE]gialitis Wilsonia); the mountain plover ( [AE]gialitis montana); and the semipalmated plover ( [AE]gialitis semipalmata), are all small American species. Bastard plover (Zo["o]l.), the lapwing. Long-legged plover, or yellow-legged plover. See Tattler. Plover's page, the dunlin. [Prov. Eng.] Rock plover, or Stone plover, the black-bellied plover. Whistling plover.

   1. The golden plover.

   2. The black-bellied plover.

n. small plover of eastern North America [syn: Charadrius melodus]

The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America. The adult has yellow-orange legs, a black band across the forehead from eye to eye, and a black ring around the neck. This chest band is usually thicker in males during the breeding season, and it is the only reliable way to tell the sexes apart. The bird is difficult to see when it is standing still, as it blends well with open, sandy beach habitats. It typically runs in short spurts and stops.

There are 2 subspecies of piping plovers: the eastern population is known as Charadrius melodus melodus and the mid-west population is known as C. m. circumcinctus. The bird's name is derived from its plaintive bell-like whistles which are often heard before the bird is visible.

Total population is currently estimated at about 6,510 individuals. A preliminary estimate showed 3,350 birds in 2003 on the Atlantic Coast alone, 52% of the total. The population has been increasing since 1999.

Their breeding habitat includes beaches or sand flats on the Atlantic coast, the shores of the Great Lakes, and in the mid-west of Canada and the United States. They nest on sandy or gravel beaches or shoals. These shorebirds forage for food on beaches, usually by sight, moving across the beaches in short bursts. Generally, piping plovers will forage for food around the high tide wrack zone and along the water's edge. They eat mainly insects, marine worms, and crustaceans.